Shelfware

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A piece of software that has never been used at all since its creation. uncountable
  2. 2
    A piece of software created for the sole purpose of being immediately shelved. uncountable
  3. 3
    Software purchased but not used. uncountable

Etymology

From shelf + -ware.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.